FOOD AND ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

FOR LIBERIA

MONTHLY REPORT: APRIL 2013

0

Photo 9: WomenFood and Enterprise mobilizing Development local Program materials for Liberia in Monthly Report April 1-30, 2013 Payee Town for the construction of drying floor

Program Title: Food and Enterprise Development Program for Liberia (FED)

Sponsoring USAID Office: USAID/Liberia

Contract Number: 669-C-00-11-00047-00

Contractor: DAI

Date of Publication: May 14, 2013

Author: Moses Owen Browne, Jr. – Radio Specialist

Photo Caption: Women mobilizing local materials in Payee Town for the construction of a drying floor.

DISCLAIMER

The authors’ views expressed in this publication1 do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government.

Food and Enterprise Development Program for Liberia Monthly Report April 1-30, 2013

ACRONYMS

ACE Africa Cost to Europe AEDE Agency for Economic Development and Empowerment APDRA Appaloosa Distance Ride Association AWEP African Women Entrepreneurship Program BSTVSE Bureau of Science, Technical, Vocational and Special Education BWI Booker Washington Institute CARI Center of Agriculture Research Institute CVC Cassava Value Chain DAI Development Alternatives, Inc. DCOP Deputy Chief of Party ECOWAS Economic Community of West African States ED Enterprise Development EMMP Environmental Mitigation and Monitoring Plan EO Extension Officer FED Food and Enterprise Development FTF Farmer to Farmer FtF Feed the Future GBCC Grand Bassa County Community College GCAP Green Coast Agricultural Program GPS Global Positioning Systems IFDC International Fertilizer Developmental Center IP Implementing Partner IQC Indefinite Quantity Contract LAUNCH Liberia Agriculture, Upgrading Nutrition & Child Health LCCC Lofa County Community College LIFE Livelihood Improvement for Farming Enterprises LMEP Liberia Monitoring and Evaluation Program LREC Liberia Renaissance Education Complex MDF Market Development Fund MIS Market Information Systems MoA Ministry of Agriculture MoCI Ministry of Commerce and Industry MoE Ministry of Education MoU Memorandum of Understanding Food and Enterprise Development Program for Liberia Monthly Report April 1-30, 2013 ii

MSME Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise NAD National Diploma in Agriculture NCCC Nimba County Community College NGW New General Women PIDS Performance Indicator Database System PMP Performance Management Plan PUA Peri-Urban Agriculture R&RF Rights & Rice Foundation RFTOP Requests for task order proposals RRA Rapid Rural Appraisal STTA Short Term Technical Assistant TAMIS Technical Administrative Management Information System TVET Technical, Vocational Education and Training UDP Urea Deep Placement UL University of Liberia UMU United Methodist University

Food and Enterprise Development Program for Liberia Monthly Report April 1-30, 2013 iii

Table of Contents

ACRONYMS ...... ii GEOGRAPHIC REACH OF FED ...... v BACKGROUND ...... 1 SUMMARY—APRIL 2013 ...... 2 COMPONENT ONE: INCREASED AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY ...... 6 COMPONENT TWO: STIMULATE PRIVATE ENTERPRISE ...... 13 COMPONENT THREE: BUILD LOCAL HUMAN CAPACITY ...... 19 TASK 4.5 ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE ...... 24 MARKET DEVELOPMENT FUND ...... 25 APRIL 2013 SUMMARY PERFORMANCE INDICATOR REPORT ...... 29 PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION ...... 30 FED STTA TRACKING TABL APRIL 2013 ...... 31

Food and Enterprise Development Program for Liberia Monthly Report April 1-30, 2013 iv

GEOGRAPHIC REACH OF FED

Food and Enterprise Development Program for Liberia Monthly Report April 1-30, 2013 v

BACKGROUND The Food and Enterprise Development (FED) Program for Liberia is a USAID-funded initiative that began in September 2011. Through implementing a Liberian strategy which incorporates women and youth, FED is helping the government of Liberia and the country achieve food security — in terms of food availability, utilization, and accessibility — by building an indigenous incentive structure that assists a range of agricultural stakeholders to adopt commercial approaches.

This incentive structure is built upon: • Improved technology for productivity and profitability; • Expanded and modernized input supply and extension systems; • Commercial production, marketing, and processing; • Enterprise Services; and • Workforce Development.

FED works with the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) and the private sector to link communities to agricultural inputs (including improved seeds), extension services, nutritious food products, processing services, market information, transportation, credit, as well as appropriate education, training, and enterprise services.

Over the life of the five-year FED program, expanded market linkages will lead to substantial income and job growth along with major increases in the production, processing, marketing, and nutritional utilization of rice, cassava, vegetables, and goats in Bong, Lofa, Nimba, Grand Bassa, Montserrado, and Margibi counties. These counties are being targeted in the context of regional development corridors that foster intra- and inter-county commerce, simultaneously improving food availability and access for all Liberians.

FED’s methodology is market-led, value chain-driven, continuously dedicated to indigenous capacity building, and specifically focused on benefiting Liberia’s women and youth. FED’s approach aims to be collaborative, catalytic, and driven by the goals and objectives of our partner clients. It will lead to increased incomes for rural households, new employment opportunities for Liberians, expanded access to food and improved household dietary diversity scores for food-insecure Liberians, in addition to the adoption of improved inputs, farming practices, and technologies which boost agricultural productivity.

FED is implemented by five partners including: Development Alternatives, Inc. (DAI), Winrock International, International Fertilizer Developmental Center (IFDC), Louisiana State University, and The Cadmus Group.

Food and Enterprise Development Program for Liberia Monthly Report April 1-30, 2013 1

SUMMARY—APRIL 2013

During the month of April, FED implemented many activities including: the roll out of the rice production activities, preparation of sites for Urea Deep Planting (UDP) field trials, sites selection for new generational women, assessment for component one rice team, construction of parboiling floors and goat shelters, market assessment for rice, completion and validation with stakeholders of extension materials for PUA, release of the RFP for the to conduct a national and regional cassava market study and completion of the training module for “Farming as a Business.” From April 24 to 26, the ED team supported the first annual MoCI MSME 2013 Conference and Trade Fair: “From Vision to Implementation - Buying Liberian Building Liberia”.

Component One: Increasing Agriculture Productivity and Profitability

Rice value chain:

 The rice team conducted a Training of Trainers (TOT) Workshop in rice production across Nimba, Bong, and Grand Bassa Counties.  Two FED staff members (Rice Officer and Rice Value Chain Manager) conducted the TOT Workshop in rice production best practices and water management. The training, which ran from April 15 - 20, 2013, brought together 25 technicians from four NGOs. Eight participants from ODARAFA (Lofa County, 7 from ASCO (Bong County), 6 from SERE (Nimba County) and 4 from WAI (Grand Bassa County) were trained.  The NGO trainees who benefited from FED TOT best practices in rice production and water management will provide on-farm training/learning by doing to 5,341(Lowland-3754 & Upland-1587) farmers with total hectares of 1,883.8 (Lowland-286.8 & Upland-1597) across four counties.  Eight (8) artisans were trained in the fabrication of parboiling drums and tanks on April 15-16, 2013.  Twenty-five (25) masons (3 from Lofa, 2 from Bong and 20 from Bassa) were trained in the construction of drying floor on April 22-23, 2013. These masons will provide the service for future construction of additional drying floors in various FED-assisted sites.  8 drying floors (two for each county) were constructed and parboiling tanks were fabricated and demonstration of the use of these post-harvest technologies was carried out by STTA Dr. Rama Rao Vellanki. Parboiling demonstration was conducted in Blay-Gbahn and Kuotarr Towns in Grand Bassa County ( April 17-20, 2013)  Dr. Vellanki also carried out demonstration and training on rat guard fabrication and installation in eight communities in the four counties for 48 participants.

A total of 9.8 metric tons of rice seed and seven power tillers have been delivered to FED county offices. Fertilizer and tools are being purchased and will be delivered to field sites in time for the rainy season planting calendar.

Cassava value chain:

During the month of April, the Cassava Value Chain Team carried-out site inspections and land preparation across FED’s six counties:  Liberia Renaissance Education Complex (LREC) I site inspection and activity planning were carried out.  Land preparation continued at 117 sites across all six counties.  Field layouts commenced at 2 sites in Grand Bassa.  The cassava extension manual was finalized.

Food and Enterprise Development Program for Liberia Monthly Report April 1-30, 2013 2

 A meeting was held with the Jeremiah Gardee Town group and the Philip Robert Town Group (farmer organizations representing over 100 FED farmers).  Land preparation, including contouring one part of the New Generation Women site, was completed. It is now ready for planting.  Cassava cuttings for the New Generation Women were procured.  Protocol for the rollout of the cassava ToT and NGO contracting were completed.  A Training of Trainers was carried out in Gbarnga, Bong County during the week of April 29, 2013. The training brought together a total of 46 participants - 34 males and 12 females - and included lead farmers, NGO technicians, CARI technicians, and FED Extension Officers.

Suppliers of healthy and disease-free cassava cuttings have been identified in Bong, Margibi, and Nimba Counties. These areas are in Sannoyea, Suakoko, Jorquelleh, and Zota Districts for Bong County, Kakata District in Margibi and Sanniquelleh-Mahn District in Nimba County. The varieties thus far identified are the TMS and TME series and Bon Noir. Sources of clean CARICASS varieties will also be good for the FED program.

Goat value chain:

Shelter construction is ramped up to ensure completion before the rainy season. Kid mortality and mother postpartum care training has been re-scheduled for June 15-29, with the arrival of a Volunteer from USAID’s Farmer-to-Farmer program:  Shelter/fencing construction materials have arrived at all Lead Farmer sites in Nimba, Lofa, and Bong (13 sites) with construction completion on six sites this month.  The final FED Goat Extension Officer for Grand Bassa County has been hired and is on site. This completes the FED Goat Value chain staffing of the four priority counties; Nimba, Bong, Lofa, and Grand Bassa, with one Goat Value Chain Extension Officer per county.  In addition, a Goat Value Chain Specialist, to cover FED Monrovia value chain backstopping functions, and a professional technical/extension specialist, to backstop and provide training to all county extension officers and Goat Lead Farmer partners on a continual basis was hired.

Peri Urban Agriculture/Vegetables Value Chain:

Harvest continued at the dry-season demonstration sites, and details on the quantity, varieties of vegetables harvested, and incomes generated from the demonstration plot are shown in Table 1.

Sections of the demonstration sites were demarcated to enable close monitoring of yields while group members recorded harvest information for the rest of the field.

On April 15, 2013 training of three extension officers and one environmental officer was facilitated by Dermot Cassidy and Noorie Dudley on pesticide use and guidelines for the effective application of pesticides as per USAID regulations.

A site assessment and meeting with the leadership of the Deaf Agricultural and Development Project in Virginia were made on April 11, 2013. This group is cultivating 8 acres of land with cassava, vegetables, and poultry, and they have a total membership of 50 people who have impaired hearing. FED will work with these farmers by providing technical assistance to support the cultivation of 6 hectares for vegetables and cassava.

Jim Correll, STTA Plant Pathologist from University of Arkansas, carried out an assessment of vegetable diseases and identified 30 diseases on PUA crops in Liberia during the first two weeks of April. This finding will feed into the development of a compendium of diseases that will be published to provide information on the signs, symptoms, causal organism characterization, and control/management of the diseases. An assessment of the Food and Enterprise Development Program for Liberia Monthly Report April 1-30, 2013 3

availability and access to chemicals for control, as well as the farmers’ control practices was also carried out. Follow-up actions are already underway including developing a set of fact sheets, looking at additions to the PERSUAP, and developing Liberian capacity to continue this work.

Trials were started on the use of soil solarization for nematode control at the Crozierville farmers group.

Training was carried out at New Generation Women on the use of vetiver as a contour stabilization measure. Progress on contour ridging was also reviewed.

On April 25, STTA Dr. Rob Black commenced his review of agrochemical and plant health policy and legislation in Liberia. The exercise addressed all value chains and components within FED, with the exception of goats. Dr. Black met with various officials of the MoA including Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Dr. Sizi Subah.

Extension Specialist STTA, Doe Adovor, completed the PUA extension manuals on the following topics:  Planning production for market;  Nursery transplant production;  Crop update management;  Plant nutrition in vegetables production;  Plant protection; and  Specific guide on cucumbers, eggplant, lettuce, okra, onions, potatoes, tomatoes, water melons

The first iterations are now developed and will be refined as new information is gathered, particularly for the pests and diseases recorded on the PUA crops. The manual on diseases was completely overhauled as a consequence of Jim Correll’s inputs, and the section on pests increased substantially due to a large number of newly recorded pests, since most have never been formally recorded before in Liberia.

Component Two: Stimulate Private Enterprise

The Enterprise Development Team initiated FED’s partnership with the EU and ZOA for the conduct of a Cassava Market Study and released a RFP on April 22. The objective of this RFP is to identify qualified individual consultants or consultancy firms to conduct a national and regional cassava market study.

During the month under review, the Subah Belleh Associates (SBA) completed the Stakeholder Profile surveys in the six counties. The total number of interviews conducted exceeded 500. SBA has prepared and submitted the third and final draft report of their findings from the survey on March 29, 2013. The report will be reviewed by the ED team.

FED supported the first annual MoCI MSME 2103 Conference and Trade Fair: “From Vision to Implementation - Buying Liberian Building Liberia”, which was held on April 24-26. The Government of Liberia, with the support of IFC, LBBF, USAID-FED, Building Markets among other partners and stakeholders, brought together approximately 680 participants representing MSMEs, banks, MFIs, and civil society for three days for a two-day conference concurrent with a three day trade fair for 50 local MSMEs.

FED organized an exposure visit to the HANDS processing facility in Zwedru, Grand Gedeh for cassava processors from April 18 to 19. Fifteen (15) representatives of cassava processors, 7 females, 8 males, and 5 USAID FED staff participated in the exposure visit. The objective of the trip was to show cassava processors the best practices in cassava processing, and inform them on quality and other requirements of the HANDS Project for cassava raw material supply.

Food and Enterprise Development Program for Liberia Monthly Report April 1-30, 2013 4

Beverly Ott, Consultant, Co-founder ECHOPPE and Consultant, US Department of State, African Regional Services conducted a one-day seminar on April 22- 23 in Bong County with 66 members from Palala Rural Women (6 males and 30 females) and War Affected Women (6 males and 24 females).

Component Three: Build Local Human Capacity

Booker Washington Institute hosted the first phase of the NAD curriculum roll-out on April 15 to 19, 2013. In attendance were officials from the Ministry of Education, Bureau of Science, Technical, Vocational, and Special Education. Agriculture instructors from Lofa County Community College (1), Nimba County Community College (2), Grand Bassa Community College (3) and BWI (2) also participated in order to learn how to use the TVET draft agriculture curriculum.

Dr. Bradley Leger professor emeritus of Louisiana State University convened a workshop to introduce methods of teaching the new National Diploma in Agriculture (NAD) curriculum. He also provided guidance and curriculum direction for the National Diploma in Agriculture (NAD) Leadership course (see Appendix A). This took place from April 15 – 19, 2013. The other courses will need to employ National STTA to help complete the curriculum.

Dr. Leger conducted a leadership training session with 21 students of the interim leadership of the agriculture student. Dr. Leger and the VES attended the first general meeting of the agriculture students (there were around sixty students present). They decided that the name of their association will be called “Nimba County Community College Agriculture Students Association” (NICCCASA).

On April 15- 19, 2013, FED conducted a successful four-day capacity building training on leadership and professional development for 54 interns.

INTEGRATING YOUTH IN FED’S ACTIVITIES

FED is partnering with the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA), Advancing Youth Program (AYP), Ministry of Youth and Sport (MYS), Community Youth Network Program (CYNP), and Farmers' Union Network (FUN) for a 9 month school garden program under the Pilot School Garden Competition for Grand Bassa County with 20 schools in Grand Bassa County. A training of trainers took place in April 22 - 26 2013 with 60 students on proper agricultural techniques with the MOA in Grand Bassa.

Photos: 1, 2: Pilot School Garden Competition for Grand Bassa County Training of Trainers (TOT) on proper agricultural techniques Food and Enterprise Development Program for Liberia Monthly Report April 1-30, 2013 5

COMPONENT ONE: INCREASED AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY

Task 1.1 Input Supply System Interventions

Activity 1.1.b: Agro-Dealer Capacity Strengthening

1. Soil sample collection and analysis for UDP site demonstration:

Soil samples were collected from 20 sites selected for UDP demonstration in Bong, Nimba, and Lofa, and 8 ISFM demonstration sites in Bong. The soils analysis was carried out using the La Motte Soils Test Kit provided by FED to Boima Engineering. The soils analysis results on N-P-K and PH were sent to FED during the final week of April 2013. All of the samples were taken from lowland areas, which were planned for rice production. Samples included large amounts of clay materials suitable for UDP application. The pH levels were between 5 and 5.5. All samples demonstrated low readings for Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium elements. Dr. Anwer, USAID consultant, will be making specific recommendations on fertilizer application based on the results of the analysis.

2. Site preparation for field demonstration of UDP and ISFM:

Land preparation continued on the 20 UDP sites. The actual application of UDP is likely to take place in mid- June 2013.

3. Agro-dealers identification:

The process of identification continues. Information on two of the new ones in Nimba suggests that:

i. Junior Lakpor is a petit Agro- Dealer. He usually sells during Saclepea market day. He packaged the fertilizer and sells them fifty (50) Liberian dollars per sack. He buys the fertilizer from Monrovia. According to him, the main period in the year that fertilizer is bought often is dry season (October- April).

ii. Charles N. Flomo is another petit Agro- Dealer. According to Charles, he has been in the fertilizer and other farming materials business for the past seven years. He has a customer in Palala, Bong County. He expressed great interest in working with the FED Team. He usually sells from one market to another.

Task 1.2 Increased Production and Profitability of Quality Rice

Activity 1.2.a. Increased Rice Seed Production

On April 24, 2013, FED’s rice team visited Arjay Farms to follow-up with the out growers. During the follow-up, the rice team, along with Arjay Farm Manager David Nallon and one of the Extension Staff, visited one farmer in Sonkay town and four farmers in Morsee Town all of Todee district Montserrado County.

Activity 1.2.c. Improved Production Practices and Technologies

Training of Trainers (TOT) Workshop in rice production best practices and water management

Food and Enterprise Development Program for Liberia Monthly Report April 1-30, 2013 6

 Training was conducted by two FED staff (Rice Officer & Rice Value Chain Manager). Presentations were focused on agronomic, post-harvest, and water management.  During the training (April 15-20, 2013), 25 technicians from four NGOs comprised of 8 participants from ODARAFA (Lofa County, 7 from ASCO (Bong County), 6 from SERE (Nimba County) and 4 from WAI (Grand Bassa County) were trained.  It is anticipated that the NGO trainees who benefited from FED TOT’s best practices in rice production and water management will provide on-farm training/ learning by doing to 5,341(LL-3754 & UPL-1587) farmers with total hectares of 1,883.8 (LL-286.8 & UPL-1597) across four counties.

Assessment of UDP sites in Nimba County  Clearing has begun at sites visited during the period under review.  Issues such as peripheral canals below plot levels, damaged head dykes, and insufficient water have been identified in some sites, and measures to address these have been drawn up to ensure water availability and control.  Doumpa site has been cleared up to 85% during April 2013 field visit.

Assessment of UDP sites in Bong County Gwenima Site Observations:

 Clearing has begun at Gwenima site, and the Bong Mines site has yet to be cleared  Peripheral intake canals are below polders/plots levels in Gwenima site. These canals will be modified to allow correct water levels adjacent to the field areas.  Poor head dyke, field needs re-lay out (width of approx. 50 meters)  Little water is available. Need to build head dyke and create a reservoir for constant water supply. See photo below.

Sanoyea Observations Photo 3: Gwenima UDP site April 25, 2013

 Clearing has begun at Sanoyea (Kelekermah Rural Women Structure) site.  The site is a narrow parcel of swamp in the Sanoyea Town.  Currently there is water available in the swamp.

Bong Mines Observations  The Bong Mines site is rain fed. Currently there is no water available for production, but the field will be prepared ahead of the rain.

Post -harvest training on fabrication of parboiling drum, tank and construction of drying floors in Grand Bassa

Training of metal sheet workers in fabrication of parboiling drum & tank

Food and Enterprise Development Program for Liberia Monthly Report April 1-30, 2013 7

Eight workers were trained in the fabrication of parboiling drums and tanks by post-harvest STTA (April 15-16, 2013).

Masons training 25) masons (3 from Lofa, 2 from Bong and 20 from Bassa) were trained in the construction of drying floor by FED STTA (April 22-23, 2013).

Parboiling demonstration & construction of drying floors The parboiling demonstration was conducted in Blay-Gbahn and Kuotarr Towns in Grand Bassa County (April 17-20, 2013)

Construction of 8 drying floors (30’ x 60’) started on April 17, 2013 with two floors being constructed in each county. The process is ongoing. See photos below.

Photo 4: Parboiling tank under construction Photo 5: Drying floor under construction in during training Kuotarr Town

Follow-up visit on construction of drying floors in Payee and Boweh, Nimba County and Don Fah, Bong County

Follow-up visits were made to Payee, Boweh, Don Fah and Bong Mines to assess the level of progress on drying floors under construction after Dr. Vellanki’s departure.

In Payee, significant progress was achieved as the casing of floor was near complete during the visit on April 20, 2013. Other sites are making progress and have received in-kind materials contributions from community members.

Food and Enterprise Development Program for Liberia Monthly Report April 1-30, 2013 8

Photo 6: Drying floor under construction in Payee (April 8, 2013)

Photo 7, 8: Showing casting of drying floor in Payee at completion (April 20, 2013)

Eleven tons of seed and seven power tillers have been sent to FED county offices for use in farmer demonstration sites. Additional amounts of fertilizer and tools are being procured for shipment to the counties.

Task 1.3 Increased Productions and Profitability of Quality Cassava

Activity 1.3.1 Increased Cassava Production

 The Liberia Renaissance Education Complex (LREC) I site inspection took place, land preparation is continuing at 117 sites across all six counties of operation. Field layouts have commenced at two sites in Grand Bassa. Cassava extension materials have been finalized and will be used for the ToT.  A meeting was held with Jeremiah Gardee Town group and Philip Robert Town Group (farmer organizations representing over 100 FED farmers)  Supervision and inspection of the New Generation Women sites to ascertain readiness for planting. Procurement of cuttings for the New Generation Women site.  Finalization of MDF protocol to rollout the cassava ToT and NGO contracting process.  Commencement of cassava ToT for Extension Officers, Community Based Facilitators, NGOs and Lead Farmers.  The cassava extension manual was completed, and vetted with the MoA and other stakeholders. It is now ready for publication.

Food and Enterprise Development Program for Liberia Monthly Report April 1-30, 2013 9

Task 1.4 Improving the Quality and Quantity of Peri-Urban Vegetables

Activity 1.4.1 Awareness Raising

Extension Specialist STTA Doe Adovor completed the PUA extension manuals. These are the first editions of the manuals, and the FED team plans to refine them as new information is gathered, particularly for the pests and diseases recorded on PUA crops. The section on diseases was completely overhauled as a consequence of Jim Correll’s inputs, and the section on pests increased substantially due to a large number of newly identified pests, many of which were never formally recorded before in Liberia.

Activity 1.4.2 Capacity Building

Sections have been demarcated at 51 demonstration sites across the six counties to enable close monitoring of yields, and group members record harvest information for the rest of the field. On April 15, 2013, three extension officers and one environmental officer were trained by Dermot Cassidy and Noorie Dudley on pesticide use and USAID’s guidelines for the effective application of pesticides.

Per USAID’s recommendations, a visit to the Deaf Agricultural and Development project in Virginia was made on April 11, 2013 to assess whether their activities are in accordance with FED’s objectives, as well as to recommend ways FED can work with the group.

At present, the Deaf Agricultural and Development project is cultivating 8 acres of land with cassava, vegetables, and poultry. have a total membership of 50 persons. FED will work with these farmers by providing technical assistance to support their cultivation of 6 hectares for vegetables and cassava.

After working closely with the PUA team, Jim Correll, a plant pathologist from the University of Arkansas, presented his findings and identified 30 new diseases on PUA crops in Liberia. As a follow-up to these discoveries, the team will develop a set of fact sheets, explore additions to the PERSUAP, and develop capacity in Liberia to expand Jim Correll’s work

 Trials were started on the use of soil solarization for nematode control at the Crozierville farmers group.  Training was carried out at New Generation Women on the use of vetiver as a contour stabilization measure and to review the progress on contour ridging.

Activity 1.4.3 Commercial Linkage Development

Peri-Urban Vegetables

Harvest continues at demonstration sites. FED farmer producers are making new, local, marketing links in Montserrado and Margibi counties. The table below shows the quantity of harvested vegetables, the harvest varieties, and the income generated from the demonstration plots this April.

Group name County Vegetables # of 10m2 Quantity Cash earned harvested plot harvested from harvest in harvested LD MOWEDE Montserrado Okra 3 116 Kgs 18,100.00 MOWEDE Montserrado Water melon 4 110pcs 4,180.00 Money in the Margibi Collard greens 1 200 bunches 2,000.00 bush Food and Enterprise Development Program for Liberia Monthly Report April 1-30, 2013 10

Money in the Margibi Okra 1 32 kgs 1,300.00 bush Money in the Margibi Bitter ball 1 38Kgs 97,500 bush Kukaitone Margibi Bitter ball 3 120kgs 3,200.00 Yarnquelleh Margibi Pepper 4 100Kgs 2,150.00 Yarnquelleh Margibi Bitter ball 3 12kgs 375.00 Kpormai # 2 Montserrado Okra 2 12kgs 1,025.00 Kpormai #2 Montserrado Collard greens 1 34 520.00 Gwegbewmue Montserrado Okra 2 11Kgs 780.00 Gwegbewmue Montserrado Water Melon 1 10pcs 465.00 Sackie Bomah Margibi Bitter ball 4 26kgs 1,800.00 Town

Activity 1.4.4 Policy Development

STTA Rob Black commenced his review of agrochemical and plant health policy and legislation in Liberia on April 25th. The exercise addressed all value chains, and components within FED, with the exception of goats. The exercise is being led by PUA because of the wide range of pests and diseases that are present on horticultural crops and the wide availability of inappropriate crop protection chemicals in Liberia.

STTA Jim Correll (Plant pathologist from University of Arkansas) presented his findings having worked closely with the PUA team, has added 30 diseases on PUA crops in Liberia. Follow-up actions are already underway including developing a set of fact sheets, looking at additions to the PERSUAP and developing capacity in Liberia to continue this work.

Photo 9: Plant pathologist, Jim Correll with Robert Chakanda and Bill Tolbert identifying pests and diseases in chili/papaya field in Bong County.

Food and Enterprise Development Program for Liberia Monthly Report April 1-30, 2013 11

Photo 11: Planting vetiver at New Photo 10: Crozierville farmers group in field Generation Women undergoing solarization

Task 1.5 Improving the Quality and Quantity of Goats

Activity 1.5.2 Community Goat Pass-on Schemes through Lead Farmers or CBO’s

Shelter construction is on-going with good progress in preparation for the coming rainy season. Kid mortality and mother postpartum care training is now scheduled for June 15-29 with the arrival of a Farmer to Farmer Volunteer under USAID ACDI/VOCA program. Among the 20 breeding stations planned for construction in the four counties, two have been completed, five are under construction, and the remaining 13 stations are procuring building materials.

 The final FED Goat Extension Officer for Grand Bassa County has been hired and is on site. This completes the FED Goat Value chain staffing of the four priority counties; Nimba, Bong, Lofa, and Grand Bassa, with one Goat Value Chain Extension Officer per county.

 In addition, a Goat Value Chain Specialist, to cover FED Monrovia value chain backstopping functions, and a professional technical/extension specialist, to backstop and provide training to all county extension officers and Goat Lead Farmer partners on a continual basis has been hired.

Activity 1.5.3 Veterinary Pharmaceutical Outlets in the Rural Areas

The European Union will provide new funding for the BRAC non-governmental organization in support of community livestock, including the establishment of pharmaceutical outlets in the rural areas. A meeting was held on April 11 at the Corina Hotel to discuss strategies for potential collaboration with FED representatives.

Food and Enterprise Development Program for Liberia Monthly Report April 1-30, 2013 12

Task 1.6 Integrating Nutrition into All FED Activities

Activity 1.6.1 Nutrition Assessment The Nutrition Assessment and Gap Analysis report is being finalized and will be submitted by mid-May 2013.

Activity 1.6.2 Enhancing Child Feeding, Household Dietary Diversity and Hygiene

Activity 1.6.2a Dietary diversity and nutrition-hygiene messages added to agriculture settings Extension manuals for cassava and PUA crops have been completed. Nutrition messages are included in the manuals.

Activity 1.6.2b Dietary diversity and nutrition-hygiene campaign Plans are in the pipeline to utilize radio programs to communicate messages promoting dietary diversity and informing rural communities on the importance of nutrition and hygiene.

Activity 1.6.2c Qualitative Research on Perceptions of Nutritional Status and Healthy Diversified Diets This activity will be moved to the next fiscal year.

Activity 1.6.3a Processed Complementary Food Products for Children under 6-23 months This activity is under review.

Activity 1.6.3b Storage and processing to reduce post-harvest losses  Eight (8) persons were trained in the fabrication of parboiling drums and tank by post-harvest STTA (April 15-16, 2013).  Parboiling demonstration was conducted in Blay-Gbahn and Kuotarr Towns in Grand Bassa County ( April 17-20, 2013)  Dr. Vellanki also carried out demonstration and training on rat guard fabrication and installation in eight communities among four counties with an estimated 48 persons taking part in the demonstrations.

Activity 1.6 .3c Investigation of Cassava Fortification to enhance nutritional value This will be considered as we assist entrepreneurs engaged and will be engaged in cassava processing. FED, in collaboration with the EU and ZOA, will be conducting a cassava market study in the coming months. Fortification of processed cassava products will be considered as feasibility analysis is done.

Activity 1.6.4 Research on orange-fleshed sweet potatoes and other micro-nutrient rich crops FED’s market-led approach prioritizes commodities that have an existing market in Liberia. Based on FED’s market review, orange-fleshed sweet potato is not currently in Liberia’s vegetable market. There are several vegetables that are grown and sold in the local markets with high nutrient content, one of which is Moringa. Moringa seeds distribution to PUA beneficiaries is in the pipeline of FED’s activities.

FED hired a local Nutrition Specialist, who will start on May 1, 2013, and will focus on ensuring nutrition is mainstreamed in FED programming and activities.

COMPONENT TWO: STIMULATE PRIVATE ENTERPRISE

During April 2013, the Enterprise Development (ED) team accomplished the following activities:

Food and Enterprise Development Program for Liberia Monthly Report April 1-30, 2013 13

Task 2.1 SME Development

Activity 2.1.A.a.i – Value Chain and Sector Studies

The Cassava Value Chain Study RFP, in partnership with the EU and ZOA was released April 22. The objective of this RFP is to identify qualified individual consultants or consultancy firms to conduct a national and regional cassava market study. The study will include:

 The types and sizes of domestic, regional (West Africa), and international markets for raw cassava and processed cassava (e.g. gari, flour, starch, etc.), as well as cassava by-products from cuttings and leaves.  Trends in consumer preferences for product type and quality for processed cassava (e.g. gari, flour, starch) and cassava by-products (leaves and cuttings);  Price, demand and sourcing trends as well as factors influencing these trends, e.g. location of suppliers and information about how the supply market is organized for all cassava products including the seasonal supply and demand as well as power dynamics within the chain;  Profitability analysis of selling raw cassava and processing the various cassava products, including average investment required;  Overview of the competitiveness of the domestic industry in relations to cassava producing and consuming regional neighbours, particularly Sierra Leone, Guinea and Ivory Coast as well as secondary data on how the cassava value chain is organized in Ghana and Nigeria  Location of consumers and consumer purchasing power for cassava products, consumer preferences, volume of consumption, any variation in consumption habits and local markets;  Location of current processors, aggregators and analysis of their capacity;  Major market outlets for cassava products;  Location of suppliers and information about how the supply market is organized for all cassava;  Current state of domestic industry, regional issues, bottlenecks, policy environment, infrastructure issues, human resource, logistic problems, technology transfer issues, trade support services etc.  Recommendations on best markets to target in the short, mid and long term and identify best market channels to use, opportunities for interventions are product form, packaging (if any), storage and enabling environment.

Bids are due by May 10. The target date for the study to begin is mid-June.

Activity, 2.1.A.a.iii – Profile and Select Lead Producers, FBOs, and Enterprise

Stakeholder Survey Project Subah Belleh Associates (SBA) completed the Stakeholder Profile surveys in the six counties. The total number of interviews conducted exceeded 500. SBA has prepared and submitted the third and final draft report of their findings from the survey on March 29, 2013, which will be reviewed by the ED team. A presentation with SBA and FED technical team will be scheduled once the report is reviewed.

Backward Mapping In March, the marketing team created a survey that will help the team quantify demand, and understand quality and quantity standards of large buyers of vegetables and cassava products in Liberia. List of potential interviewees were generated with the help of the Stakeholder Survey Project, Building Markets, and the National Investment Commission of Liberia including hotels, restaurants, supermarkets, institutional buyers, and large concessioners. The ED team will use the information to determine which products have more potential for commercialization within the domestic market and organize producers and other value chain stakeholders around those opportunities. The surveys began at the end of March and will continue through the end of May.

Food and Enterprise Development Program for Liberia Monthly Report April 1-30, 2013 14

Rapid Market Assessments The ED team in collaboration with component one rice team and Dr. Vellenki (Rice Post-Harvest Specialist) will pilot rice business incubation projects with farm -based organizations (FBOs) in the four major counties. The pilot project includes demonstrating post-harvest technology to farming groups as a means of helping them to reduce post-harvest losses and improve the quality of locally-milled rice. As part of effort to do so, the ED marketing team is liaising with the county managers and EDAs in the field to select potential FBOs that have the capacity to function as viable businesses, utilizing new technology and mechanization for commercialization and income generating activities for others, both their members and surrounding farmers. The ED team created and tested a rapid market assessment (RMA) tool to determine feasibility of the venture for four identified groups in Bong and Nimba from March 25 to 29, in Lofa from April 8 to 11, and in Grand Bassa from April 22 to 23.

Activity 2.1.A.b. Linking Value Chain Participants

HANDS Processing Center Site Visit In January and March the ED team organized a buyer /supplier meeting in Ganta, Nimba and in Gbarnga, Bong respectively to link farmers and processors to the HANDS project, a large buyer of gari. Farmers, processors, input suppliers, equipment manufacturers, SMEs, youth entrepreneurs, local authorities from MoA, the USAID FED Monrovia and county teams and a representative from HANDs all participated in the events. The objectives of those meetings were to inform cassava value chain stakeholders about the opportunity to sell up to 15 metric tons of gari per month to the HANDS project that is producing fortified gari for their feeding program. One of the major outcomes of the meeting was the need to strengthen the knowledge of processors and input suppliers on how to meet HANDS quality requirements and to assist cassava value chain stakeholders to organize a consistent and reliable supply mechanism. To facilitate this process, FED organized a site visit to the HANDS processing facility in Zwedru, Grand Gedeh for cassava processors from April 18 to 19 (15 groups representing cassava processors, 15 participants, 7 females, 8 males, and 5 USAID FED staff). The ED team will work to link the processors to the USADF grant program in order to upgrade their processing facilities and build the capacity of the farmers around the processors to supply the necessary quantities of cassava. Two of the participating groups were winners of the USAID FED Pilot Youth Business Plan competition. They will ultimately be linked to these processors to gain experience in cassava processing. Finally, a USAID FED communication staff recorded the processing site tour utilizing the video technology taught by USAID’s FACET project. The video will be used for future training purposes.

Activity 2.1.A.b.i – Value Chain Workshops

Value Chain Training for USAID FED Staff An RFP for Value Chain training and consultancy for USAID FED staff was released January 24 and bids were due February 8. The objective of the project is to build the capacity of USAID FED team in best practices in utilizing the Value Chain Approach in Development and defining successful business models for Liberia. The consultants will also assist the USAID FED team in the design and creation of a basic model for value chain workshops including working with stakeholders to develop competitiveness strategies. Agri-Impact was selected to perform the training and consultancy. The consultants arrived in country April 27 and began conducting training and competitiveness consultancy for USAID FED staff on April 29. The consultancy will end on May 7.

Activity 2.2.g – Improve Borrower Readiness

Organization Strengthening and Financial Management Training: In January, Rights & Rice Foundation (R&R), an IQC holder, completed the first round of Organization Strengthening training for nine groups (258 participants, 120 females & 138 males) in Bong, Lofa, Nimba and Grand Bassa counties. As part of the training, the nine groups created action plans based on their short-term and

Food and Enterprise Development Program for Liberia Monthly Report April 1-30, 2013 15

long-term goals. The Enterprise Development Assistants (EDAs) are currently working with 4 of the groups to create constitutions and by-laws (five of the nine groups already had these instruments in place.)

The Enterprise Development (ED) team contracted with four IQC holders (Agency for Economic Development and Empowerment (AEDE), Pace Management Consultants, Educare and R&R) to conduct training in Financial Management and a second round of Organizational Strengthening training for sixteen groups (447 participants) in Bong, Nimba, Lofa and Grand Bassa Counties. In March, AEDE and Pace Management completed Financial Management training for 3 groups (70 participants, 39 males and 40 females), while Educare completed Organizational Strengthening training for 4 groups (112 participants, 81 females, 31 males). Financial Management training continued from April 8 to 12 by Pace Management for 1 group in Lofa (37 participants, 16 females, 14 males). In addition, Org. Strengthening training was completed by Educare for 2 groups in Bong and Grand Bassa (50 participants, 25 female, 25 male) from April 8 to 19. R&R will conduct Org. Strengthening training for an additional 6 groups during May and June.

New Generational Women Several update meetings were held with New Generational Women (NGW), AEDE, and Chevron. This project supports 74 farmers (51 women, 23 men) in developing cassava and vegetable production and processing on 17 hectares in Upper Clay Ashland of Montserrado. During Q1 and Q2 the group was actively engaged in brushing, clearing, and felling of the 17 hectares they plan to cultivate. The ED team, along with AEDE conducted a workshop in January to inform the group of options for registering as a legal entity (as cooperative or a corporation). NGW chose to register as a corporation. Representatives from NGW, AEDE and the ED team met with two different lawyers and the Business Registry in Monrovia to determine the best process for registering the group during March. As of April 29, the group had drafted their Articles of Incorporation and plans to register by the end of May.

Beverly Ott Visit, Women in Entrepreneurship Beverly Ott, Consultant, Co-founder ECHOPPE and Consultant, US Department of State, African Regional Services conducted a one-day seminar on April 22- 23 in Bong County with 66 members from Palala Rural Women (6 males and 30 females) and War Affected Women (6 males and 24 females). Beverly utilized dramas and participatory methods to deliver training in leadership, commitment, and management. Beverly also participated as a panel speaker at the MoCI Conference on April 25, Developing Local Suppliers/ Distributors – Opportunities & Challenges.

Activity 2.1.B.b – Develop Cadre of Business Development Service Providers and Curriculum

Business Service Provider IQC RFP On March 19, the ED team released an IQC RFP for Business Skills Training Services to identify qualified service providers to provide training services for rural groups, microenterprises and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the selected value chains (rice, cassava, vegetable and goats) in FED’s six counties (Montserrado, Margibi, Bong, Grand Bassa, Nimba and Lofa). Qualified service providers may also be asked to contribute to the development of curriculum and to implement Training of Trainers (TOT) activities. This IQC will replace the first business service provider IQC, which was only in place for 6 months. The new IQC was designed to find service providers (both individuals and companies) located in the counties in order to provide more ‘localized’ service. Therefore, bidder’s conferences were successfully held in Bong, Nimba, Grand Bassa and Montserrado (Monrovia) counties from March 26 to March 29. The essence of the bidder’s conference was to provide organizations/institutions as well as individuals the equal opportunity to understand the IQC RFP process and seek clarity before responding to the RFP that was advertised in the newspapers and on local radio stations. On April 9, a final bidder’s conference was held in Lofa County. Bids are due May 3.

Food and Enterprise Development Program for Liberia Monthly Report April 1-30, 2013 16

Farming as a Business Curriculum Development Throughout Q2, the ED team worked closely with the LAUNCH team to adapt and expand Farming as a Business (FaaB) curriculum for the USAID FED value chains and for more of an illiterate audience. The curriculum was adapted from USAID’s PL 480 Grants Program for Uganda, USAID’s Agricultural Development and Value Chain Enhancement (ADVANCE) Program for Ghana, and USAID’s Livelihood Improvement for Farming Enterprises (LIFE) Program for Liberia. It was expanded to include emphasis on planning, understanding the market, developing marketing strategies, and utilizing savings as investment for agriculture expansion. The training program is broken down into a basic program, which can be delivered in six, three-hour sessions and a more advanced program, which can be delivered in nine, three-hour sessions. The manual was presented to MoA on April 16 for feedback and will be piloted with the New Generational Women in May. A Training of Trainers is planned for newly identified business service providers in late June, early July. It is anticipated that the FaaB training programs will begin to roll out in July.

Activity 2.1.A.b.ii – Trade Fairs Activity 2.1.B.d – Increase Enterprise Registration and Local Government Engagement

MoCI MSME 2013 Conference Preparation From April 24 to 26, the ED team supported the first annual MoCI MSME 2103 Conference and Trade Fair: “From Vision to Implementation - Buying Liberian Building Liberia”. The Government of Liberia, with the support of IFC, LBBF, USAID-FED, Building Markets amongst other partners and stakeholders brought together approximately 680 participants representing MSMEs, banks, MFIs, and civil society for three days, including concurrently a two day conference and a three day trade fair for 50 local MSMEs. The conference was based on the four pillars of the MSME Division: Legal and Regulatory Reforms; Access to Markets; Access to Finance; and Building Skills and Knowledge. The intention of this event was to allow the government to take stock of the MSME sector in Liberia, deliver key training workshops to assist MSMEs in all stages of development, and examine practical steps that other key players including banks, micro finance institutions, and concessionaires can take to promote sustainable growth leading to employment creation and jobs.

Representatives from 40 USAID-FED supported lead farmer groups and agri-businesses from across USAID- FED’s six counties of operation attended the conference (43 participants, 27 males, 16 females). In addition, seven USAID-FED supported businesses participate in the trade fair. USAID-FED provided $15,500 towards conference expenses (11% of total cost) plus approximately $20,000 to support the transport and lodging of rural farming groups and agri-businesses and conference printing materials. Other major donors included IFC, Building Markets, The Marketplace, and SPARK/BSC Monrovia, mostly in the form of in-kind goods and services. On the second day of the conference, USAID-FED organized a two-hour break-out session entitled, Enabling Policies to Stimulate Growth in Agriculture. The break-out session consisted of a panel of experts from the private and public sector guided by a moderator from the USAID-FED project. The session was intended to provide conference participants the opportunity to discuss the latest findings and current policy reforms around topics such as seed certification, crop protection chemicals, and livestock policy. Panel experts confirmed for the break-out session are Hon. Dr. Sizi Subah, Deputy Minister for Technical Services of the Ministry of Agriculture, Joe Hirsch, Director Economic Growth for USAID, Dr. Robert Black, Consultant in Biosecurity Law, Regulation and Risk Assessment, and Harriette Laway, owner of Arise and Shine, a rice seed producer. Other speakers identified by the USAID-FED team who participated in the conference are Beverly Ott, Co-founder ECHOPPE and Consultant, US Department of State and Fabio Lavelanet, CEO and a founding member of FABRAR Liberia Incorporated.

Activity 2.1.B.e – Radio Entrepreneurship Outreach

FACET Interactive Radio Training, Malawi

Food and Enterprise Development Program for Liberia Monthly Report April 1-30, 2013 17

From April 15-20, two USAID-FED Radio Specialists attended the FACET Radio training in Malawi that trained communication specialists on the use of interactive radio to improve agricultural extension services to enhance farming practices and support farmer livelihoods. The workshop built upon successful practices from the field, and provided practical skills for project staff.

Task 2.2 Access to Finance

Activity 2.2.e – Village Savings and Loan

VSLA RFPs Throughout February and March, the ED team, along with Mary Miller (STTA) held meetings with CARE, UN Women, the Central Bank, and LAUNCH to discuss VSLA program options for the USAID FED project. In March, the ED team decided on a final design for the program and will release an RFP to find business service providers to conduct training for ED staff and beneficiaries. On April 29 and 30, two RFPs for VSLA training (one for USAID-FED staff and one for rural farmers) were released. Bids are due at the end of May. It is expected that the VSLA training will begin roll-out in July and will last for 12 months through the groups’ first payout.

Task 2.4 Enabling the Policy Environment for Private Sector Growth

Activity 2.4.4: Rice Policy

Dr. Eric Wailes, Rice Policy Expert (STTA) was in country April 1 to 17 to work on updates to rice policy issues and data analysis concerning upland vs. lowland rice commercialization feasibility. Dr. Wailes visited with key officials at MoCI, MoA, LISGIS, and USAID’s LTPC project to gather information. He also visited Arjay Farms and rice farmers of the Fuamah Rice Cooperative in Bong Mines to gather field data. A final presentation took place April 16 at the USAID-FED office. The final report is expected April 30 and will be reviewed by USAID- FED staff before delivery.

Rob Black, Crop Protection Chemical expert (STTA) arrived April 25. He participated as a speaker in the agriculture break-out session at the MoCI conference on April 25. Rob’s statement of work includes facilitating the adoption of a higher level policy/regulatory framework for crop protection (plant health) chemicals and pesticides. Dr. Black will be in country until May 5.

Future Enterprise Development Activities:  Agri-Impact (PO) will be conducting Value Chain Training and competitiveness consultancy for FED staff between April 29 and May 7.  Rob Black, Crop Protection Chemical expert (STTA) arrives April 25 and leaves May 5.  Organizational Strengthening training will continue with Rights & Rice in Bong, Nimba and Grand Bassa for six farming groups (160 persons, 70 male, 90 female) from April 27 through June 25.  Marcia Odell, Gender Advisor from PLAN (PO) will be in Liberia May 13 through May 31 to develop gender sensitive curriculum and consult with USAID FED staff on gender mainstreaming.  Farming as a Business Training of Trainers will be conducted by USAID’s LAUNCH project from May 20 to May 30 in Bong and Nimba utilizing co-created curriculum. USAID-FED ED Assistants will attend this training.  The ED team will field test the Farming as a Business Training curriculum with the New Generational Women following the LAUNCH TOT during the first three weeks of May.  The Cassava Market Study RFP is due May 10. The target date for the study to begin is mid-June.  The VSLA RFP bidder’s conferences will be held May 6 and May 10. Final RFPs are due May 17 and May 22. It is anticipated that USAID-FED staff will be trained in VSLA methodology and management

Food and Enterprise Development Program for Liberia Monthly Report April 1-30, 2013 18

during the month of June. VLSA training for rural farming groups will roll out in July and will last for 12 months until the groups’ first payout.  In May, the ED team will be identifying potential Community Animal Health Workers (CAHW) in the counties to participate in training for vaccination and pharmaceutical delivery training as part of the goat pass-on scheme. Qualifying CAHWs will also participate in basic business management training in June.  In May/June, the ED team will collaborate with the Building Markets project to meet with Arcelor Mittal, an iron ore concessioner located in Nimba County, to discuss opportunities for the domestic supply of rice, cassava, and vegetables for the company’s canteen.

COMPONENT THREE: BUILD LOCAL HUMAN CAPACITY

Task 3.1 Creating Centers of Excellence

Ministry of Education (MoE), Bureau of Science, Technical, Vocational and Special Education (BSTVES) Services Dr. Bradley Leger professor emeritus of Louisiana State University will convened a workshop to introduce methods of teaching the new curriculum. He also provided guidance and curriculum direction for the National Diploma in Agriculture (NAD) Leadership course (see Appendix A). This took place April 15 – 19, 2013. The other courses will need to locate National STTA to help complete the curriculum. Ms. Sarah Eaton completes the STTA support on the NAD by creating and introducing the practical mathematics and statistics courses in the NAD in July 2013. Dr. J. C. Bunch will finalize the NAD curriculum introduction by holding a roll out workshop for all agriculture and business education instructors in the FED community colleges at a workshop in July 2013.

Activity 3.1.1 Internship

Key Achievements: On April 15- 19, 2013, the FED internship team with support from other staff members organized and conducted a successful four day capacity building training for 56 interns based at the County level, namely from Lofa, Nimba, and Bong The training was held in Bong County at the Bong Women Center.

This capacity building training essentially complements what interns are learning at their various job sites and strengthen their capacity through the provision of knowledge and skills which they can make use of beyond the internship period. This gives them an edge over their peers and also places them in a more competitive position on the job market.

The capacity building workshop was conducted in two sessions. The first session of the workshop was conducted on the 16th -17th of April for 27 interns and the second session on the 18th -19th for 27 students.

The theme of the training was centered on leadership and promoted the concept of agriculture as a business. Other topics covered were: “what is food value chain?” Community mobilization, Agri-business Management, Interview Skills, Preparing CVs and Cover letters, etc.

At the end of the training, post evaluation showed that the interns found the training very useful to their professional development especially in the areas of how to conduct themselves during interviews, developing their CV, writing application letters and also an indebt understanding of the food value chain and agribusiness concept. Currently the second phase of the capacity building program is being planned for May 15th – 18th for 111 Monrovia based interns.

Food and Enterprise Development Program for Liberia Monthly Report April 1-30, 2013 19

Phase one of the 2013 internship program will be phasing out on the 22nd of May. A mid-term evaluation and monitoring exercise has been completed for all 165 interns. This evaluation showed a marked improvement in the career development of intern students at their different job sites. A final/exit evaluation will be conducted this next week.

Booker Washington Institute

Booker Washington Institute hosted the first phase of the NAD curriculum roll out. This took place from April 15 to 19, 2013. In attendance were two officials of the Ministry of Education, Bureau of Science, Technical, Vocational and Special Education. There were also agriculture instructors from Lofa County Community College (1), Nimba County Community College (2), Grand Bassa Community College (3) and BWI (2) to learn how to use the TVET draft agriculture curriculum. Three FED interns also attended the workshop.

Interns continue to work on the Drip Irrigation Sustainable Vegetable Production site. Soil sampling and testing took place with Wooiklee Paye leading the group and monitoring of the growing site is ongoing. BWI head of department, Jacob Swee has five FED sponsored Interns. He had them working on practical activities with students. One Intern, a senior student at Stella Maris Polytechnic School, is conducting a demonstration on best practices in peanut production. He also takes other interns for teaching agricultural classes.

Nimba County Community College

From Monday, April 22 to Wednesday April 24, 2013 the Vocational Education Specialist, Albert Bass and Dr. Bradley Leger traveled to Sanniquellie, Nimba County to follow-up the TOT agriculture curriculum development training with Photo 12: FED Soils Technician Wooiklee Paye Demonstrates How to the teachers that attended the workshop Collect Soil Sample at BWI at BWI. Dr. Leger and the VES attended the classes taught by Messrs. Justin G. Luo and Terry N. Dologby to observe their teaching. Dr. Leger also had a leadership meeting session with 21 students of the interim leadership of the agriculture student. Before departing Sanniquellie, Dr. Leger and the VES attended the first general meeting of the agriculture student. There were about sixty students present. They decided that the name of their association will be called “Nimba County Community College Agriculture Students Association” “NICCCASA”. They agreed that cassava will be the crop they will plant Food and Enterprise Development Program for Liberia MonthlyPhoto Report 13: Dr. April Leger 1- 30,with 2013 NCCC Agriculture Students Association 20

this year. Their Motto is “Agri.: The Source of Life” and they selected their Logo.

The NAD curriculum is nearing full completion. This Economic Community of West African States Technical and Vocational Education and Training (ECOWAS-TVET) Post-Secondary Diploma (two year) course is the first of many TVET diploma curricula to follow. A publication of the NAD follows in May 2013.

Activity: 3.1.2 Short Term Technical Advisor (STTA)

Dr. Bradley Leger of Louisiana State University was present from April 7th to the 26th. His responsibilities focused on the new curriculum on agricultural business for community colleges. He also encouraged students to be actively involved in leadership opportunities on campus as well as evaluate current instructors in best vocational teaching practices.

OBJECTIVES: During the assignment, the Vocational Agricultural Education Specialist (VAES) worked with the Vocational Education Specialist (VES) and the Vocational Training and Non-Formal Education Specialist (VTNFES), the Training Specialist and the Enterprise Development Specialist in coordination with the Ministries of Education to contribute to the development of programs focused on building capacity for the Centers of Excellence.

VAES STTA Dr. Bradley Leger:

 Developed the National Agricultural Diploma Course on Leadership in the newly adopted ECOWAS- TVET program and confer with student leaders and faculty at the individual institutions with regard to formation of agricultural leadership organizations;  Worked with the Vocational Training and Non-formal Education Specialist to propose course guidelines for the course on Mathematics in Agriculture as in the ECOWAS-TVET National Agriculture Diploma;  Conducted workshops for agriculture instructors in the FED-BWI Office related to instructional development and delivery of the newly approved ECOWAS-TVET National Diploma in Agriculture (NAD) Curriculum;  Followed up with individual instructors at their respective sites (Nimba Community College, Grand Bassa Community College);  Conducted a pre and post evaluation of instructors with regard to the training in the ECOWAS-TVET National Agricultural Diploma.

DELIVERABLES:  Submitted a completed course outline with instructor and students guidelines on the ECOWAS-TVET Leadership course.  Reported on workshops for vocational agricultural instructors.  Submitted a report on recommendations of the ECOWAS-TVET National Agriculture Diploma vocational training curriculum with recommendations for future trainings to effectively implement the curriculum in the community colleges.  Made a presentation to FED staff and other stakeholders on findings and recommendations prior to departure.  Submitted a trip report with meeting notes and recommendations which was submitted to the LSU Principal Investigator, Dr. Carl Motsenbocker and the Chief of Party, Agnes Luz at the DAI/FED Project Office.

Food and Enterprise Development Program for Liberia Monthly Report April 1-30, 2013 21

COMPONENT FOUR: CROSS-CUTTING ACTIVITIES

Task 4.1 Knowledge Management

FED planned to carry out Agriculture Lecture Series. This plan was shared with the Agriculture Coordination Committee (ACC) chaired by the MOA and participated in by Government Agencies, NGOs and donors engaged in the development of Liberia’s Agriculture. The ACC participants welcomed the idea, but this has been changed to “Round-table discussion on Agriculture-related Concerns”. This will be a forum for sharing experiences/lessons/best practices in agriculture development, recommended technologies and discussion of current and burning issues in agriculture. This is the same forum whereby extension materials may be shared and validated. The plan is to roll this out in June.

Task 4.2 Special Studies, Baseline Studies, Impact Surveys, M&E

During the month of April 2013, the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) team undertook the following activities:

 The primary activity during the month was the contracting, preparing, and implementing the rice farmer survey activity. A local NGO is surveying 288 rice farmers to prepare a baseline from which the Year 2 activities can be measured. A 3-day orientation and training was held in Nimba County. The survey and analysis of the findings should be completed by the end of the next month. This survey is incorporating the use of mobile data phones (PDAs) for the collection and entering of data.  Additional surveys continued in preparation for the establishment of baselines for the Value Chains and to initiate the data collection for the Year 2 Work Plan activities. These surveys included the goat pass-on scheme, the vegetable demonstration and production program, and the vegetable seedling program. The survey for the cassava program will be initiated in early May.  Rice demonstration groups were visited and the data compiled on the membership of each group. This data is critical to forming the base of the stakeholder profiles in the TAMIS data system for FED. These lists will be completed in May as will the maps that are being prepared to locate sites by category and the information dialogue boxes to accompany the site locations.  M&E worked with the FED Environmental Officer to initiate the required Environmental Compliance questionnaire that is required for all the FED sites in Year 2. M&E staffs are following-up on this activity in the field.  In conjunction with the Input Supply activity, a survey of agro-dealers has been initiated in the counties. This includes a survey of the market areas to locate these type of businesses and then to interview them in connection with the planned farmer voucher program. This survey may carry over to June as the search for agro-dealers may take some time.  M&E conducted a workshop for FED staff to review the PMP Indicators, Indicator definitions, and the M&E system for collecting and reporting data and information. From this discussion, FED Activity Managers will refine targets and broaden the scope of data reporting. Indicator definitions continue to raise questions, which are then passed on to USAID for clarification. During this month, the M&E office had a telephone conversation with a USAID contractor who is developing an Indicator Guide (Suzanne Nelson, Tango International). The outcome of that activity should eventually provide further guidance for interpreting Indicator definitions.  M&E staff participated in the rice Training of Trainers in preparation for the Year 2 demonstration with farmer groups and the mentoring of individual farmers during the cropping season. M&E explained the monitoring system, what might be expected of the trainers for collecting some data, and collaborating in

Food and Enterprise Development Program for Liberia Monthly Report April 1-30, 2013 22

surveys and follow-up activities for M&E. The M&E ICT/GIS officer also participated and instructed the trainers in the use of the GPS devices for field measurements.  A FED STTA was in the counties during the month conducting training's for the construction of drying pads and rice parboiling tanks. M&E staff were present at some of these training's to observe and collect the necessary training attendance data and information.

Task 4.3 Monitoring Activities Site monitoring visits during the month totaled 49 by counties staffs. The Monrovia staff spent 20 days in the field monitoring activities and working with county staff. The primary activities that were visited and data collected included:  Organizational Strengthening and Business Skills Training Services  Distribution of Inputs (Tools and Construction Materials) for vegetable groups and goat farmers  Agro-Video Dissimilation training  Introduction to Agriculture for farmers in a Garden Back to School TOT  Fish in Rice Paddy’s Training at NCCC in Nimba  Rice Production Best Practices and Water Management Training in preparation for the Year 2 rice season and financial Management Training,  Rice Household Survey data collection training  The Post-Harvest activity of Dr. Vellanki demonstrating parboiling tank construction and use, and crop drying floor construction  The cassava training of trainers for the Year 2 program was initiated at the end of the month and the M&E staff was scheduled to present the trainees with the M&E program at the end of the training, but actually in May.  Surveys were also conducted as part of the larger survey program for groups that will participate in Year 2 activities, including rice group member lists, goat producers, seedling producers, vegetable producers and agro dealers for the voucher program. The M&E ICT/GIS officer is working with the rice group to measure all the demonstration fields for Year 2, with the priority being the Category A and B sites. This exercise will be completed during May. The immediate urgency is to measure the sites where the UDP (Urea Deep Placement) program is being implemented.

Successes and Issues Encountered During the Month Dr. Vellanki successfully initiated a program in 4 counties to demonstrate and train farmers in the construction of drying pads and parboiling tanks. He worked with 2 village groups in each of 8 villages. The main constraint in some villages is the availability of crushed rock and sand for the drying floor construction. Follow-up will be critical to farmer implementation of these technologies.

The NGO team hired to conduct the rice farmer survey successfully completed a 3-day orientation and training and initiated the survey at the end of the month. The team is using hand-held PDA devices and reporting back to M&E on a daily basis. The M&E office has been in the process of hiring additional staff. All but the Lofa office have completed this hiring process. By the end of the month, all but one of the additional 9 staff had been hired by the end of the month. The final candidate has been selected and should be on board in early May.

Indicators The main change in Indicator Result was in the training (see Monthly Indicator Table attached). There were 566 individuals trained during the month, mostly in Organizational Development, Intern Capacity Building and a few in Post-Harvest Drying and Parboiling. Another Indicator that showed increases this month was in Rural Households, as the Year 2 groups were organized and began receiving tools for the rice cropping season.

Food and Enterprise Development Program for Liberia Monthly Report April 1-30, 2013 23

Activities Planned for Next Month The rice farmer survey will be completed and analyzed. PMP Indicator targets are being reviewed and will be revised. Current surveys for goats, vegetables, rice group member lists and the mapping of the Year 2 sites will be completed.

TASK 4.4 GENDER

Activity 4.4.1 Ensuring Gender Sensitive and Socially Inclusive Training FED designated a staff member from each component [Jetty Carter (component 2), Catherine Karmo (Component 3) and Nelson Kanneh (Component 1)] along with the MDF manager to be trained by the Gender Specialist, Marcia Odell, Gender Specialist from PLAN International, at the end of May in 6 gender curriculum modules1. These 3 individuals will be their department’s point person for the inclusion of women and youth in all aspects of activity planning. These three trainers will then train the specific actors along the Liberian value chain on these gender methodologies. MoA representatives will be invited to the training.

Activity 4.4.3 Supporting FED’s Partner Institutions to Better Serve Female Students FED will invite partner educational institutions: BWI, GBCCC, NCCC and Lofa County Community College to send representatives to the Gender Sensitivity training that PLAN International will be carrying out on the last two weeks or May.

During April 2013 FED finalized the hiring of PLAN International to carry out the Gender Training.

TASK 4.5 ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE

Activities Planned and Ongoing:

 Training of field extension staff and field offices in general on the EMMP scheduled for 18 March concluded. The training brought together over 75 Lead Farmers as well as staff of the Monitoring and Evaluation Team. The training was in response to FEDs environmental compliance objectives and was a full-day program at each County Office. Its emphasis was on implementation of the EMMP and promotion of specific BMPs, as well as on monitoring and evaluation processes.  At Arthingthon, Montserrado County, the AED Cassava project revealed water quality and quantity are concerns that must be addressed. Irrigation setting for vegetables production in FED remains guided by the provision of potable water for from crop production. As a consequence, the current water need, and lifting water in sufficient and safe quantity in accordance within USAID standards, needs further investigation. The need for an appropriate modern transitional technology has still not been concluded.  The inclusion of the M&E team into environmental compliance monitoring marks significant achievement in the planning, as well as implementation of the ongoing project. While the presence of extension staff at project sites remains important, the inclusion of M&E staff has now added more strength for environmental compliance.

1 Module 1: FED field offices on the rationale behind taking gender sensitive approaches, Module 2: FBO Female Leadership, Module 3 Gender Sensitive Training Methodologies for Local NGOs, Module 4: Female Borrowers [borrowing from financial institutions], Module 5: Commercial Lending Institutions, Module 6: Input Suppliers

Food and Enterprise Development Program for Liberia Monthly Report April 1-30, 2013 24

 Following the inclusion of the Goat Value Chain activities under a water quality review, the Environmental Compliance Team will embark upon a water quality testing of all Goat shelter and training use water sites. It is mandatory in response to the FED Water Quality Assurance plan.

MARKET DEVELOPMENT FUND

Market Development Fund (MDF) Update

MDF Disbursements During April of fiscal year 2013, the Market Development Fund (MDF) expended $561,272.52 on twenty nine (29) MDF activities across FED’s three components. Please reference MDF Table #1 for a breakdown of these activities and disbursements by component.

MDF Commitments During April 2013 MDF continued activity design for the 2013 rainy season in Liberia. The MDF technical committee reviewed and approved one (1) activity under CLIN01, two (2) activities under CLIN02 (one was a budget realignment for CLIN02-MDF-0009 activity), and three (3) activities under CLIN03, which total $124,405.55. Please reference MDF Table #2 for a list of future MDF activities that were reviewed and approved in April 2013.

MDF Department The MDF department went through some changes during April 2013 as the amount of procurements increased and it was decided that the county Administrative Officers needed to be trained in proper procurement procedures. This decision stemmed from the desire to continue to shift activities and MDF procurement to the county level. All four county Administrative Officers came to Monrovia for training by the MDF Manager in DAI’s procurement policies and procedures on April 17th and 18th. The Monrovia MDF team followed-up the training by sending out one MDF Procurement Specialist out to each county for practical procurement training during the last week of April into the first two weeks of May. All of these trainings were to strengthen the county teams on procurement guidelines, and to build MDF procurement capabilities beyond Montserrado County. Moving forward, MDF’s request for quotes (RFQs) and requests for proposals (RFPs) will not only be advertised in Monrovia, but also in all of the four counties where FED has offices. Since newspapers are not present in the counties, FED will advertise county RFQs and RFPs both on the local radio and through print postings at key areas in major towns (banks, markets, hotels, etc.). FED hopes to build the local capacity of vendors at the county level to bid on RFQs and RFPs competitively; thereby, engaging the local economy and agro input suppliers in MDF procurements, ultimately helping to build markets outside of Montserrado county.

MDF Table 1 - MDF Activity Disbursements April 2013

April 2013 CLIN MDF Activity Number MDF Activity Title Disbursement

CLIN 01 CLIN01-MDF-0011 Arjay Farms Outgrower Expansion

Nimba County Community Goat CLIN01-MDF-0017 Pass-on Scheme.

Completion of PPR Vaccination CLIN01-MDF-0018 Campaign

Food and Enterprise Development Program for Liberia Monthly Report April 1-30, 2013 25

Peri Urban Agriculture - 2013 Dry CLIN01-MDF-0033 Season

Establishment of demonstration CLIN01-MDF-0041 plots and intensified rice production in Montserrado County

Lofa County Community Goat Pass- CLIN01-MDF-0047 on Scheme

Bong County Community Goat CLIN01-MDF-0048 Pass-on Scheme

Community Outreach Interactive CLIN01-MDF-0057 Forums - Lofa County

Establishment of demonstration CLIN01-MDF-0059 plots and intensified rice production in Nimba County

Establishment of demonstration CLIN01-MDF-0060 plots and intensified rice production in Grand Bassa County

Establishment of demonstration CLIN01-MDF-0061 plots and intensified rice production in Bong County

Establishment of demonstration CLIN01-MDF-0062 plots and intensified rice production in Lofa County

Training Of Trainers in Intensive CLIN01-TRN-0064 Rice Production

CLIN01-MDF-0065 Rice Farmer Household Survey

Post-harvest processing CLIN01-MDF-0066 demonstration

Information Technology Assistance to Agriculture Coordinating CLIN01-MDF-0075 Committee Meeting of the Ministry of Agriculture

Pilot School Garden Program CLIN01-MDF-0076 Competition - Grand Bassa

Food and Enterprise Development Program for Liberia Monthly Report April 1-30, 2013 26

CLIN01-MDF Total

FY 2013 Q2 CLIN MDF Activity Number MDF Activity Title Disbursement

CLIN 02 Pilot Youth Business Plan CLIN02-TRN-0015 Competition for Institutions

CLIN02-MDF-0020 MSME Conference 2013

Second Organization Strengthening CLIN02-TRN-0021 Training

CLIN02-TRN-0023 Financial Management Training

Low-cost video for agriculture: CLIN02-TRN-0027 Dissemination Workshop and Practice

CLIN02-MDF Total

FY 2013 Q2 CLIN MDF Activity Number MDF Activity Title Disbursement

CLIN 03 Agro-Business Internship Program CLIN03-TRN-0001 2012

Purchase of Resource Materials for CLIN03-MDF-0007 Educational Institutions

National Diploma Curriculum in CLIN03-MDF-0012 Agriculture for Post-Secondary Education in Liberia

CLIN03-TRN-0014 Agri-business Internship 2013

CLIN03-TRN-0016 Soil Testing Kit Training

National Agriculture Diploma CLIN03-TRN-0020 (ECOWAS-TVET) Curriculum Roll Out Part 1

Post-Harvest Rice Technical CLIN03-TRN-0021 Training

CLIN03-MDF Total

April 2013 MDF Disbursement TOTAL

Food and Enterprise Development Program for Liberia Monthly Report April 1-30, 2013 27

MDF Table #2 - MDF Activities Approved April 2013

MDF Proposed MDF Activity Number MDF Activity Title CLIN # Activity Budget

Pilot School Garden Program Competition (20 CLIN01 CLIN01-MDF-0076 schools) - Grand Bassa

CLIN 01 MDF Proposed Activity Budget Total

MDF Proposed MDF Activity Number MDF Activity Title CLIN # Activity Budget

New Generational Women/AEDE/Chevron CLIN CLIN02-MDF-0009 (Budget Realignment) 02 CLIN02-TRN-0024 Value Chain Consultancy

CLIN 02 MDF Proposed Activity Budget Total

MDF Proposed MDF Activity Number MDF Activity Title CLIN # Activity Budget

The establishment of a rice and fish farming program at the Nimba County Community CLIN03-TRN-0019 College CLIN 03 National Agriculture Diploma (ECOWAS- CLIN03-TRN-0020 TVET) Curriculum Roll Out Part 1

CLIN03-TRN-0021 Post-Harvest Rice Technical Training

CLIN 03 MDF Proposed Activity Budget Total

MDF Activities Approved Proposed Budget TOTAL

Food and Enterprise Development Program for Liberia Monthly Report April 1-30, 2013 28 April 2013 Summary Performance Indicator Report April 2013 Summary Indicator Performance Report Component 3 Component 2 (Human Montly Rice Cassava Vegetable Goat (Enterprise Input Supply Cross-cutting Resource Disaggregated Total Development) Capacity Dev.) Monthly Total Custom Indicator M F M F M F M F M F M F M F M F M F No. Indicator No. Indicators Gross margin per unit of land, kilogram or animal of 1A 4.5.-4 selected product Number of rural households benefiting directly from 1E 4.5.2-13 USG interventions 2745 46 115 56 57 6 0 38 3063 Number of farmers and others who have applied new technologies or management practices as a result of 1.1.1 USG assistance Number of hectares under improved technologies or 1.1.2 4.5.2-2 management practices as a result of USG assistance 0 Number of private enterprises, producers organizations, women’s groups, trade and business associations and community-based organizations (CBOs) receiving USG 1.2.1 4.5.2-11 assistance 61 27 9 5 25 1 0 1 129 Number of private enterprises, producer organizations, women’s groups, trade and business associations and community-based-organizations (CBOs) that applied new technologies or management practices as a result 1.2.2 4.5.2-28 of USG assis tance 0 0 Number of individuals trained on nutrition messages 1.3.3. withing agricultural program Value of incremental sales (collected at farm level) 2A 4.5.2-23 attributed to FtF implementation Value of new private sector investment in the ag sector 2B 4.5.2-38 or food chain leveraged by FtF implementation 0

Number of jobs attributed due to FtF implementation 2C 0 Number of public-private partnerships formed as a 2D 4.5.2-12 result of FTF assistance 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 5 Number of Policy/Regulations/Administrative procedures in each of the following stages of development as a result of USG assistance in each case: 2.1.3 Analyzed, Drafted 0 Number of MSME’s, including farmers, receiving business development services from USG assisted 2.2.1 4.5.2-37 sources 0 0 0 0 51 0 0 0 51

Number of students and faculty benefitting from 3B improved academic facilities and programs 29 0 Number of individuals who have received USG supported short-term agricultural sector productivity or 3.1.1. 4.5.2-7 food security training 61 3 34 12 0 0 0 0 138 215 46 8 0 0 59 44 620 Number of individuals, organizations and institutions Food and Enterprise Development Program for Liberia that have received training of a technical nature 3.1.2 61 3 Monthly34 12Report0 April0 1-30,0 20130 8 7 0 0 0 0 59 44 228 Number of individuals that have received training on 3.2.1 management or leadership 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 130 208 46 8 0 0 0 0 392 PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION

This report covers activities from the FED Human Resources department for the period April 1-30, 2013

Staff Recruited, LTTA: During the period under review the below listed persons were recruited to occupy vacant positions:

 Kou M. Wonokay, M&E Assistant, Lofa CountyDave G. Yekeh, Goat Officer, Grand Bassa County  Membah B. Duo, Goat Specialist, Montserrado County  Lincoln S. Flomo, Enterprise Development Assistant, G. Bassa County  Jonathan Brown Jr., Nutritionist, Montserrado

Short-Term ICA Contractors:

 J. William Toe, Cassava Rapid Multiplication Trainer

Ongoing Recruitment:

Recruitment is currently ongoing for the following positions • Goat Value Chain • Vocational Agriculture Educational Officers • Program Training Assistant

Training:

Two staff from the Communications Department, Moses Browne and Cedrick Kpadeh attended a five days training in Malawi on Agriculture Radio Production. (April 15-19, 2013). This training was organized by a USAID Project called FACET.

Other ongoing HR activities:

 Ethics Training  Performance Management Plan  Recruitment Plan

30

Food and Enterprise Development Program for Liberia Monthly Report April 1-30, 2013

FED STTA Tracking Table April 2013 Name Position Partner Dates Summary COR Approval CO Approva l

Technical STTA

Jacki Carlsen ICT Advisor DAI February 23 ICT support to FED Yes N/A through April 13, 2013

Rachel Wade Communications DAI February 15 Communications support Yes Yes Specialist through July to FED Comms team 2013

Dr. Robert Black Crop Protection Winrock April 24-May 4, Assist the Ministry of Yes Yes Legislation and Policy 2013 Agriculture with the Review Specialist. development of appropriate policies/regulation to ensure a functioning Liberian agricultural system with particular regards to crop protection.

Bradley Ledger Vocational Agriculture LSU April 3-24, 2013 Develop the Yes Yes Education Specialist National Agricultural

31

Food and Enterprise Development Program for Liberia Monthly Report April 1-30, 2013

Diploma Course on

Leadership in the newly adopted ECOWAS-TVET

program and confer with student leaders and faculty at the individual institutions with regard to

formation of agricultural leadership organizations

Christin Hutchinson Program Officer Winrock April 6-21, 2013 Support and training for Yes No FED’s new Component One lead

Food and Enterprise Development Program for Liberia Monthly Report April 1-30, 2013 32